Find the best primary schools in Doncaster. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Doncaster has 98 primary schools, all in Doncaster council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 98, 18 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Doncaster primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Grange Lane Infant Academy | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Hill Top Academy | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Hooton Pagnell All Saints Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Bentley High Street Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Askern Moss Road Infant Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Crookesbroom Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Kirk Sandall Infant School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Scawthorpe Castle Hills Primary Academy | Mixed |
There are 98 primary schools in Doncaster.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 98 primary schools in Doncaster, 18 have a religious character: 10 Roman Catholic and 8 Church of England. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Grange Lane Infant Academy (4.8), Hill Top Academy (4.6), Hooton Pagnell All Saints Church of England Primary School (4.5), Bentley High Street Primary School (4.3) and Askern Moss Road Infant Academy (4.2). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 98 schools here, 96 have enough published data for a rating.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
| 4.1 / 5 |
| Norton Infant School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Southfield Primary | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Rowena Academy | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Willow Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Bessacarr Primary | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Sheep Dip Lane Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Arksey Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Askern Littlemoor Infant Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Dunsville Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Sprotbrough Orchard Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hayfield Lane Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Joseph's School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Auckley Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Barnby Dun Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hatfield Woodhouse Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Carr Lodge Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Montagu Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Richmond Hill Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Oswald's CofE Academy | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Adwick Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Branton St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Tickhill Estfeld Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Edlington Victoria Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Intake Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Marshland Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Bawtry Mayflower Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Rosedale Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Castle Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Highwoods Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Warmsworth Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Kirk Sandall Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Kirkby Avenue Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Norton Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Windhill Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Brooke Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Barnburgh Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Wadworth Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| Morley Place Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Pheasant Bank Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Tickhill St Mary's Church of England Primary and Nursery School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| St Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery School | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| Canon Popham CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| Copley Junior School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Hawthorn Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Denaby Main Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Thorne King Edward Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| New Pastures Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Woodfield Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| West Road Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Owston Park Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Plover Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Town Field Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Tranmoor Primary | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Balby Central Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| Scawsby Saltersgate Infant School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Green Top | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Bentley New Village Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Rossington St Michael's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Long Toft Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Scawsby Junior Academy | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Highfields Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Sandringham Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| St Peter's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.1 / 5 |
| Hexthorpe Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Kingfisher Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Carcroft Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Travis St Lawrence Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Toll Bar Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Spa Academy Askern | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Lakeside Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Waverley Academy | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Scawthorpe Sunnyfields Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Mexborough St John the Baptist CofE Primary School | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 |
| Stainforth Kirton Lane Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Hatchell Wood Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Conisbrough Ivanhoe Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 2.6 / 5 |
| Park Primary School | Mixed | 1.9 / 5 |
| Atlas Academy | Mixed | 1.0 / 5 |
| The Mallard Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Tornedale Infant Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.